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Tractor troubles

B

Big Muddy rancher

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Feb 10, 2005
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Big Muddy valley
Was headed back the coulee with a couple of bales for the calves. the 7400 JD quit. I assumed fuel gelled today. Got it towed back to the shop and put some heat under it. It started and ran for a bit but quit again.

The main fuel filter seems OK the little shiny canister on the left side seemed to have some thick fuel in it. Must be more some where.

Any tips on priming these tractors. I have pumped the lever on the right side but can't even get any smoke at the exhaust. :?
 
BMR, can you safely get a heat lamp shined on the filters/lines? Or a knipco type heater blowing under the tractor engine? When you get it running I would feel safer with some/more Power Service or Howes treatment added and let it run an hour or so before you venture anywhere. :wink:

I hope my tractor is good to go. I filled it up with #1 yesterday before I went to feed. It should be 80% #1 by now and the #1 from last year has Power Service in it.
 
I got it running. At least until I shut it off. :-)

Had to have some gelled fuel somewhere. pumped the prime pump and bled the main filter. Blew back on the line to the tank. Something worked.

I also loosened off a couple of injector lines at the pump, until it fired then tightened them. That might have done the trick.

It was so cold in the shop the shot gun heater didn't want to run. :( :roll: :-)
 
ok hubby has quite a bit to say on the subject, he's diesel mechanic.
A little late but add some furance fuel to your diesel fuel, that has to be done when it is 20 above though. 1/2 and 1/2 mix. Won't hurt anything.
You need to warm the whole thing up. Plug it in and throw a tarp over it. If you can get it into a heated shop.
 
It's amazing how quickly tractor problems rear thier little heads when the temp gage drops.Tractor started this morning just before the battery decided it would like to die on me,then the hyrdralics on the bucket decided not to work now that it's snowing:? Guess i'll start with a filter first,and see if that helps :???:
 
My 7400 has done this to me in the cold a couple of times. Change both the main filter and the in-line one. You may want to drain and strain the fuel you have in the tank, you will be suprised how many ice crystals are floating around in there when it gets this cold. When you blew back on the line you cleared them away from the intake sceen at the bottom of the tank. A jug of Polar Power or Melt-Down won't go to far amiss either. Get it all cleaned out and you should be good to go for the rest of the winter.

Stay warm.
 
Assuming it's like a 7700, there's also a little screen in the bottom of the electric fuel pump that gets restricted....besides the expensive little fuel pump isn't anything to write home about, it may be getting weak. Good luck with it.
 
Cal said:
Assuming it's like a 7700, there's also a little screen in the bottom of the electric fuel pump that gets restricted....besides the expensive little fuel pump isn't anything to write home about, it may be getting weak. Good luck with it.
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I hear you about that fuel pump, my 6410 has one. Joy to change aren't they?

My 7400 has a manuel pump at the filter, much more preferable. Wouldn't it be nice if they made a comfortable cab and put a tractor under it instead of competing with the auto industry.
Electric fuel pump, electric over hydraulics, digital this and that, looks pretty but sure is a pain when things quit working. :roll:
 
Triangle Bar said:
Try some of Power Service's diesel emergency 911 (red bottle). That should re-liquify any gelled fuel in your system.
Click to expand...

Used that in the diesel "baby" tractor today cleaning out some of the smaller low roofed barns. Works like a charm. That thing ran perfect all day long.
 
This to will pass, next summer. The 4440 on the feed wagon and the 4020's seemed alright this morning. When it gets cold down here we'll use a little fuel treatment, and starting fluid and get with it.
It's only 18 below tonight so far. I know it's colder up north.
 
The Cat 980C quit yesterday and I thought of the fuel filters first. Changed them , old ones looked great and the fuel from them looked great as well - - - -still would not start.

Took the line off from the tank to the lift pump, good fuel - - replaced it and took the out let line off the lift pump, cranked engine - - - no fuel. Took the pump off and went to the parts cleaner. Totaly dissassembled it and cleaned it . It has 4 small check valves in it. Could find nothing wrong but replaced it, opened ( cracked ) the injector lines gave it some starting fluid. Started and ran rough till I got the injector lines tightened then ran great the rest of the day and all day today.

All I can think is there must have been something small ( dirt or ice crystal ) in one of the valves and I must have cleared them.

It is sometimes a challenge to start three loaders, up to 10 tri axel trucks, 2 skid steers, one or two excavators each morning.

I park the loaders each night so that I can hook jumpers cables to each of them prior to trying to start and put jumpers from the service trucks to them ( they are all 24 volt systems so I have to use two service trucks to jump the cloest loader ) then check all fluids while the batteries are warming up then start the loaders one at a time and let them all warm up about 15 minutes prior to moving them. I park them this way each night that might get cold but if it is above 0 degrees F :D I just start them the next day but they are grouped in case it get colder than that.

I have hydrolic quick couplers in the heater hose on the loaders and service trucks and I have two extra 15' heater hoses in each service truck with quick connects on them so on really cold days ( I consider -20 F really cold ) I can pull one of the service trucks up to a loader, make some quick connections and in about 20 minutes the collant gague will be back to normal on the service truck and the loader will start like summer time.

This really helps if you jell one up in a remote location. Wrap the cold engine in a couple of layers of tarp, leave a running vehicle feeding warm antifreeze to the cold one - - - go to lunch and stay gone at least 30 minutes with jumper cables on and the fluid exchange going and when you come back the jelled one will almost start itself. Remember to use a good diesel conditioner and hopefully your problems will be few!
 
Seeing as how you brought this back up George :roll:

The tractor started last night and again today but I no sooner got it out of the shop and it quit. :mad:

Pulled it back in the shop and put the heat to it Bled thing and checked filter.
It would start and run then quit. Now it doesn't want to start. Guess I will try new filter but I don't think that's the problem. :???:
 
I know this will sound stuipid but on my tractors ( 4010, 4020, 4630, 4650, 8630, D17 AC ) I take baling twine and tie cardboard boxes over the sides of the tractors so that the radiator heat is held around the engine in the winter. This will keep the injector pump warm and really helps on the jelling problem. Put a new filter on and bleed the system and hold the heat in prior to using the tractor, hopefully your problems can be eliminated.

When I strated the boxes some of the neighbors would give me a rough time at the diner but when they had problems and started doing the same I guess I just started a trend!
 
big dummie,do yourself a favor.........go over to the phone,call someone to fix the tractor,then go over by the fire,or play on the computer,you know every time you start messin around with a tractor you mess something up :mad: :mad:
good luck
 
You got crap in your tank. Pull the plug, strain it through a pair of Tam's stockings into a clean container. Helps to flush it with another gallon or two of clean fuel. Dump the clean fuel back in.


You will be suprised what you find.
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
Seeing as how you brought this back up George :roll:

The tractor started last night and again today but I no sooner got it out of the shop and it quit. :mad:

Pulled it back in the shop and put the heat to it Bled thing and checked filter.
It would start and run then quit. Now it doesn't want to start. Guess I will try new filter but I don't think that's the problem. :???:
Click to expand...

You COULD have a fuel line that is partially collapsed on the inside. I had the same problem years ago with an LN7000 Ford with a 3208 Cat. Took 2 full days and a lot of expense to figure out it was the fuel line. Last winter a guy here had the same thing happen to his Bobcat while cleaning out driveways. For some reason, he was turning around in my driveway when it died. His dad was a diesel mechanic for over 40 years, and when I got home for dinner and talked to them, I told them they had a collapsed line. They got it started around 6 pm that night when I got home for supper. I asked them what they found out....they looked pretty sheepish and only said "You were right". Doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
 

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